The Call
by KungFu Jedi
Summary: Luke says farewell to some special friends...  Enigmatic ending that leaves you wanting more...


The Call

Partial Song-fic

by Kungfu Jedi

_A solemn promise, given after the defeat of the Empire, when all fades to silver glass, and a bittersweet farewell among friends is eminent._

The glistening sea shone into infinity, smooth as glass, stretching under the vast orange sky. Luke pondered the beautiful sight, and felt an odd melancholy. And just like that, he knew. They had arrived. The time had come. The white sand sparkled underneath his feet. He uttered a soft, long sigh, as a heartfelt sorrow throbbed in his soul.

"It isn't the end, not really," came a smooth, quiet voice behind him.

He did not turn, didn't seek her eyes. He would have to face them soon enough.

"But does it have to be painful?

"Not all paths are of sorrow, Luke, nor are they all of joy. We accept them, and move on," she told him gently.

"It's not the path I fear... just... not knowing what's at the end."

"Have hope! You need but look a little farther, beyond what your eyes can see, and you will see that the end is not so far away."

He turned to face her.

"Ahsoka?"

She was a lovely sight, the scarlet sun making her equally colored skin glow, her slender figure accented her face, and her deep blue eyes held the pain that he felt.

She came forward and hugged him.

"Not so very far away at all."

She stepped back, holding his shoulders.

"I can't say that I have ever met someone quite like you, Luke. I am glad to have known you, and I hope I always shall."

"It was an honor knowing you." He replied, meaning every word.

The togruta smiled, and stepped away.

"I daresay that I shall never forget you," said a familiar voice to his left.

He turned to see Sirithiel facing the sea, sad, yet foreseeing glint in her eyes.

Siri, her auburn, rose-gold hair glimmering in the rubescent sunset. Her turquoise eyes -not quite blue, and yet not quite jade- met his and for a moment, he forgot she was leaving and could have stared at her all day. She was not wearing her boots, for her feet were bare in the sand melting into the soft white glow. He was sure he wasn't in love with her; she seemed so young, even if he knew otherwise... and yet, there was something about her that one could not help but be enchanted by. He would dearly miss her witty humor, her lack of fear and reckless courage, her sweet voice, her hope...

"Will I ever see you again?" Luke asked tentatively, almost afraid of the answer. Artharion, Sirithiel, Ahsoka, Galen... they were the best friends he could have ever hoped for and now... after all they had been through, all they had taught him, the thought of never seeing them again was unbearable.

The cerulean sea spread out for an eternity, reflecting the deep violet, scarlet hues of the setting sun.

Setting on the span of their friendship...

No, their friendship would always last, but the pages of this story were closing, a new one about to begin...

But he didn't want this one to end.

_It started out as a feeling..._

"What does your heart tell you?" she asked him softly.

He smiled as a tickling feeling filled his chest. Yes, maybe... when his need echoed though the stars, then they would see each other again...

_Which then grew into a hope..._

"Yes... one day."

She let the joy of a smile fill her face, watching it reflected on the young man she had come to love. He was not her beloved, but the young starliss held him dearly in her heart.

_Which then turned into a quiet thought..._

"Then we will," she told him happily. He gazed at her. _But not for a long time..._

"We'll need you." He whispered.

_Which then turned into a quiet word..._

"I'll always be here, Tegalad... whenever you call me. When you see the grass wave in the wind, when you hear it echo in the canyon, whenever you see the wild ones run... you will hear me call back to you. I will always answer. And when your need is dire, we shall return. But for now, let this farewell be sweet; I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are of evil."

_And then that word grew louder and louder, 'til it was a battle cry..._

She kissed him on the cheek, making the young Jedi blush, his face as crimson as her hair.

"Farewell, Luke. Let not your thoughts be darkened, but remember us in light and happiness."

"I will."

_I'll come back, when you call me..._

_No need to say goodbye..._

She nodded briefly, smiling as she turned away. Behind her, her father had appeared. Luke had not seen him, but he was not startled. He was used to the man's inscrutable ways.

Artharion took his chin, reminding Luke very much of his father. This man, who had been a father to him when he thought his was lost, who had given him hope when he doubted himself. Anakin had given Luke his dream; but Artharion had given him back his manhood. For that, and all the wisdom he had imparted to him, to all of them, he would be forever in debt.

_Just because everything's changing,_

_Doesn't mean it's never been this way before..._

"Artharion? I- I wish- I wish that I could..."

"Shhh... Perhaps no words are needed. The heart does not speak in words, but in actions. And you have shown that you have triumphed as a man, as a student... and as a son."

Luke gazed at him, watching the shimmering turquoise eyes reflect the shimmering scarlet sea.

"Then why do I feel I still need you?" he whispered.

"Your father needs you, Luke," he replied gently. "What you have done, no one else could do. No one had your hope, your courage, your persistence, and certainly not your love, not in this. _No one,_ Luke."

Luke persisted.

"But you gave me that hope,"

"I gave you guidance; Your hope was your own."

"He- he said I still needed you." Luke stared at the white sand beneath his feet, willing his hope into solid existence.

Artharion chuckled, pleased.

"Did he? Did he really?" He studied the boy a moment. "I can leave in peace, then."

"What do you mean?"

"He does not trust himself to guide you, which means he is humble enough to succeed. Guide him as a son, and the father will take over. You complete each other." He finished.

"But how can I live for him? How can I give him back what he lost?" pleaded Luke.

"He lost you. You came back to him. You gave him love when no other would have. You _healed_ him, Luke. Healed him with everything you are. You were willing to die for him...

...and he would die without you. I am proud of you, so proud of you... but it does not compare to the pride of a true father." Artharion smiled knowingly, casting a brief glance at Siri, who blushed.

Luke smiled, as the memory lit up his heart. He could never be more proud of his father either. He would never, ever leave the man. The only one who truly understood him, whose mind he shared, whose love he reawakened. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to dearly miss the man who led him there.

"I'm going to miss you, Artharion," he said with some difficulty.

The Starliss engulfed him in a warm embrace, and Luke inhaled the strong unique scent of the man. Not unlike his father's, the same security, the same warmth... but not _quite _the same. Luke suddenly felt a deep longing to see his father. He needed him... just like he needed this man...

"Namarië, Skywalker. Let not this be grieving, for it is not the last time we will part."

He whispered into the young Jedi's ear. Somehow, those words filtered directly into his soul, sprouting the sweetest hope. He kissed the boy's forehead gently, and with a last long look, he parted, stepping back into the waves. He seemed to vanish like a mist before Luke's eyes. Siri's eyes glittered with unfettered joy, and with an enigmatic, almost magical smile, she followed suit.

Ahsoka cast a last look at the son of her former master, and with the same joyous, yet cryptic smile, she melted into the waves, lost to his sight.

_All you can do is try to know who your friends are,_

_As you head off to the war..._

Luke could not help himself; he wept openly, knowing that it was the last he would see of his dear friends for a very long time. But when he looked into the last light of the setting sun, he could see that future, faintly, just over the horizon, far in the distance, but growing closer with each passing moment. Yes, one day, when all hope seemed lost, that feeling would grow again...

_Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light.._

Luke watched the blazing sky as a familiar shape appeared, as ephemeral as the sunset. The colossal, yet magnificent ship glowed brightly for a moment, a beacon even in the vermilion sky, and then with a beautiful, ethereal flash, it disappeared.

'_You have only to call truthfully from your heart, and we will remember you... '_

'_Your need is our need...'_

'_This is not the end, Tegalad... only the beginning... Remember...'_

The voices of Artharion, Ahsoka, and Siri echoed in his mind as they faded from him. Yet... he could hear Sirithiel's sweet voice on the wind, the gentle breeze weaving smoothly with the soft roar of the sea, calming him, promising...

_You'll come back when it's over,_

_No need to say good bye..._

He closed his eyes, taking comfort in their fading presences. When he opened them at long last, the sun had set.

But the light was still there, glowing, just out of reach.

It would come back.

And he knew why they had chosen this time of day. Their time was short, their role in this tale was over... for now. But one day...

_You'll come back when it's over,_

_No need to say good bye..._

One day, he would call them back.

When he finally left, the fire had left the sky, a pale glow near the horizon, and the first stars emerged in the purple shroud of the night.

WIth a final contemplating sigh, he turned and slowly made his way back to his ship.

It was time to go home.

In spite of the aching loss he felt, there was a subtle joy.

He was going home, to his father, and Artharion was going home as well.

They all were.

_Now we're back to the beginning,_

_It's just a feeling and no one knows yet..._

He flew back to the city, dark now, with its gleaming lights showing its life. He landed outside of the city, in one of the fields, instead of the hangar. Gathering his thoughts, he walked toward the bright tall buildings, in retrospect the entire way.

When he came to the Alliance embassy, instead of searching out Leia and the others to tell them of the departure as he normally would, his feet involuntarily made their way to a different door, in a completely instinctual act.

_But just because they can't feel it too _

_Doesn't mean that you have to forget..._

Anakin regarded his son in inaudible happiness. He knew that Luke would take the departure of his friends heavily, and though he knew he could not spare him that remorse, he knew what it was to lose someone close. He could feel his son's loss, his pain, his sadness, resonating within his own chest and he longed to comfort him.

Luke said nothing, only looked at him tiredly, yet his eyes lit up with elation, even if the rest of him felt like he was going to fall over.

Anakin came forward and enfolded him gently into his chest. And there they remained for what felt like infinity. Not that either of them minded.

_Let your memories grow stronger and stronger_

_till they're before your eyes_

After that small eternity, Anakin spoke.

"I didn't know him, not like you did," he paused, letting his words sink into his son's mind. "But I do know that I had never met anyone like him, and I never will again."

Luke inhaled deeply ...and kicked himself for mentally comparing Artharion's scent with his father's.

Anakin only laughed softly. Deep. Powerful. Like Artharion. Luke felt incredibly guilty.

"You don't have to, Luke," answering the boy's thought. "He was your father when I should have been. He taught you more than I ever could have.

Luke straightened.

"That's not true," he affirmed, a mysterious glint in his eye.

"Oh?"

"I only knew Artharion a few months. And he did teach me more than I ever learned with Yoda or Obi-wan, but..."

Anakin waited for his son to finish.

"...but not as much as you will."

"Luke, you don't know th-"

"Yes, I do. I intend on knowing you the rest of my life. Don't tell me there's nothing more I can learn."

He smiled at his father's bewildered look.

"Besides," he smiled slyly, putting his pain aside, "I got the impression that Artharion wouldn't be coming back for a while. And that gives you plenty of time."

"Why? When everything I am comes from you?"his father whispered fervently.

_You'll come back when they call you... _

_No need to say goodbye..._

Luke had never loved him more than at that moment.

"I think he was counting on that," he whispered back, wrapping his arms around Anakin's neck.

"Oh, really?" His voice held a deep, dangerous note, one that gave Luke a delighted shiver.

"He said that he could leave in peace, content that you were humbled enough to leave me to him."

Anakin stared at him in mock shock, "_Leave _you to h- He better come back!" he growled pleasantly.

Luke smiled, feeling that for the first time, things were going to be _perfect_. He had the memory of Artharion's words, the happiness and security of his friends, the love of his father... It was if Artharion had know the entire time where he would end up.

_I only guided you; It was your hope..._

_...As he is yours. Lead him. Trust him. Love him, for you will live for him._

The melodic voice floated into his mind from somewhere. He noticed the window was open.

Leaving his father's arms briefly, he stood by the window, letting the cool morning breeze infiltrate his soul.

"Do you really think he'll come back?" he asked softly, to nobody in particular.

Anakin stepped up from behind and took his shoulder.

"I _know_ he will. Artharion does not take vows lightly."

"Besides," he added, "I never got to thank him for revealing my greatest weakness to you and _that _is a vow that _I_ do not take lightly,"

Father and son both laughed as the promise of a new day awakened, and with it, new hope, a new light, and the memory of a man who led them both from the throes of despair into the dawn of a new life...

_You'll come back when they call you... _

_No need to say goodbye..._

Deep in wilderness of space and time, Artharion felt the boy's contentment, and let the peace fill him, gratified with the knowledge that Luke couldn't be in safer hands.

_Yes, Anakin, watch over him. Teach him. Tell him. He will need you. Protect him, as I protected him. Love him, as he loves you. Live for him, for you will die for him._

_And when he is lost, we will return to guide him through his last trial. Until then, Farewell, my friend._

Artharíon Türín gazed out into space from the bridge of the _Excelsior_, waiting for destiny to unfold and fate to call him back...

_I'll come back, when you call me..._

_No need to say goodbye..._

_Hehehe.. boy oh boy, I can FEEL your confusion, your excitement, your outrage and I revel in your bewilderment..._

_Review? Questions? Like, Thousands? _


End file.
